K, here goes.*deep breath*Anarchy Online is a free SF MMO. Go get the client and download the pdf of the manual from the site. Flick through the manual while patching up. Trust me on this, it'll give you vital info on species and careers and how to modify the chat interface as well as giving you something to do while patching up.

Hints: Leave off picking a side and stay Neutral as Neutrals can go anywhere. Once you chose to be Omni-Tek or Clans you can switch sides (with penalties) but can never again be a Neutral. And don't worry about getting shoulder pads as once you leave the Space Port (a.k.a. "Noob Island") there's a mission in Newland City to deliver paperwork to the Bronto Burger stand- do this twice and you get two Intelligent Kevlar Shoulder Pads.

When you enter the abandoned subways take note of the adverts just inside the entrance. These are clues. First up is the "Dovve" ad. So open your Planet Map, click the options icon and select "Dovve" from the options. This gives you the Dovve Player's Map: zoom out and you have routes for all the whoom-pahs (teleporters), zoom in and you can see Grid exit points, places of interest, even where the Political (Player v. Player) Zones are.

Helpbot. This uses chat commands to do various things including the command/tell Helpbot whois PLAYER NAMEto get the full stats on a player. Use the chat command/tell Helpbot helpto see the full list.

If you fancy a fight without getting killed (just to see how cool that shiny new weapon actually is) try duelling. Target the player and then type the command./duel(Note that the initial full stop is essential) and your opponent gets a Y/N choice. If they agree you get a five second countdown before unleashing hell. You can't kill each other, just nearly kill each other.

And at the last- bored of the music? May I recommend Gridstream Productions, Rubi-Ka's first dedicated radio station? Play it through Winamp or use Gridstream Productions' own client (it's about 1Mb). As with Helpbot, there's chat commands to interact with the station (playlists, what's playing now, a Magic 8 Ball thiungummy) all via Gridbot. Use/tell Gridbot helpfor the full list.

That's about it. Though bare in mind this game is 18+ so be prepared for violence, swearing, drug references, barely dressed people/things and a lot of stuff on the Gridcast you don't get on normal radio (""Zombie Prostitute" by Voltaire was a memorable song from my last listening stint.) Oh yes, and it's FREE. Stick that in your Warcrack pipe and smoke it.

And another thing- take a teleporter to Newland Desert and the Trading Post. SE of there you'll find the Bronto Oasis, which is good hunting until about Level 30 (watch out for the bvig glowing one though: not only has she got double the hit points but can do extra chemical/electrical damage). Near the Trading Post is the entrance to Rhinoman Valley, which is good for more advanced hunters though be cautious or you'll have dozens of Red Level (i.e. do not fuck with) Rhinomen chasing you back to the Trading Post though there are three NPC guards to cover your back while you get to safety.

It's the patching up that's a bitch. Oh and Vagabond Coats (from Violent Vagabonds in the Abandoned Subway) make good back armour until about Level 30. Wear it instead of the Small Backpack until your Adventuring is high enough to start wearing a Large Backpack. It takes 10 of Strength but it helps when you're getting shot in the back.